Familiar Faces
by Polas
Summary: Emmy visits Clive in prison, several months after the events of Unwound Future, and gives him a 'How to make hand puppets' book.


Emmy looked at the young man sitting opposite. "Hello, Clive. How are you today?"

"….." he refused to meet her eyes.

"Have you had lunch?"

"….."

"Still playing the strong, silent type, hmm? Well now…." She rummaged in her bag. "I brought you a book. I thought you might enjoy taking up a hobby to pass the time in prison." The woman held up a book entitled: "How to make hand puppets."

Emmy stayed and chatted for a while, but it was clear that Clive wasn't interested in talking, just like how he hadn't spoken a word during her last three visits.

"….and the professor sends you his best regards, and he's sorry he can't visit you because he's away."

"…"

"Ms. Altava, visiting time is over." The prison guard spoke at last.

Without a word, Clive stood up and walked back towards the cell. "Hey, you over there." Emmy motioned at one of the guards/ "Has he spoken at ALL since he came here?"

"If he has, missy, I haven't heard him."

"I see…." Emmy had taken a course in psychology previously, that and Professor Layton's request for her to visit Clive in his place had brought her to the jailhouse.

As Emmy walked out, she noticed a grey-haired man looking at her. He seemed to be another inmate. She wrinkled her forehead in puzzlement before giving her book to Clive's guard.

"Well, missy, maybe it was your book that did it, but inmate Dove finally spoke yesterday." The guard said.

"Really?!" Emmy looked at him, startled. "What did he say?"

The guard shifted uncomfortably. "Well….. it was more sleep-talking."

Emmy pressed him. "Go on."

"There was a huge thunderstorm last night, and after one particularly loud clap of thunder he screamed in his sleep. 'MAMA!' he yelled."

"And then?!"

"That was all he said, actually. He just kept repeating 'Mama, Mama'. I think he wanted his ma. We couldn't get him to calm down at all, until his cell mate stepped in."

"Who is….?"

"Inmate Dimitri Allen. He got things under control and managed to soothe inmate Dove back to sleep."

"I see."

"Here we are." The guard ushered Emmy into the visiting room.

 _Loud noises scare you, don't they._ Emmy thought sadly as she settled down into her chair. "Hello, Clive."

Clive looked more scrunched up than ever. "How was your day? Did you read my book?" He turned away. In fact, he was tuning her out. He closed his eyes and let his mind fly back to the night before.

" _Mama, Mama, Mama, Mama, Mama," Clive moaned, making no attempt to break out of his loop._

 _Suddenly, there was a hand on his head. "Now, Clive, my boy, a gentleman always knows that things will get better." Clive's head shot up in disbelief. Patting his head was a….. Layton hand puppet? "It's always darkest before dawn." The puppet continued._

 _Dimitri wiggled his fingers, causing the puppet to bow and tip his hat. In his other hand he held the 'How to make hand puppets' book, which he had been studying all week. Somehow, Clive managed to uncurl out of the ball he had rolled into and hesitantly touched the Layton puppet. "That's the spirit, my boy!" the puppet continued to squeak, holding Clive's finger in both of its hands._

 _Outside, the guards looked incredulously at the scene before quietly backing out._

Clive looked up in relief, registering Emmy's words: "Well, I have to say goodbye now. See you next week, okay?" he stood up and stumbled back quickly to his cell, where a mess of cloth bits and thread were on the floor. He picked up his half-finished puppet and held it up to the Layton puppet.

"Well, my boy, we're off on another adventure!" the Layton puppet's voice rasped and creaked, possibly because the puppeteer's voice was rusty from disuse. Clive manipulated the puppet to tip its hat.

"I can't wait, professor! An adventure with you is always fun!" the other, half-finished puppet that had been made by Clive cried. It was a puppet of himself.

Behind him, Dimitri leaned against the cell bars, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

 _He's talking. He's finally talking._


End file.
